Five Big Ideas from the Party of Lincoln
The original purpose of the political conventions of the major parties in the United States was to nominate a presidential candidate and adopt a party platform. The invention of television changed all of that. The leaders of both parties were smart, and quickly realized their conventions were opportunities for free national media. So political conventions have become highly choreographed spectacles that are intended to present the party to the general public in the best possible light. It is no surprise that these stage-managed coronations often offer style over substance.
On the other hand, there is still the opportunity for a substantive discussion of the issues, and that is why we’ll be paying attention to both parties’ conventions. In the meantime, Big Think has reached into our archive and also sourced expert opinions from around the Web to showcase the big ideas from each political party. Call it a virtual convention of ideas. Today we’re starting with the Republicans.
What qualifies as a big idea in politics?
We looked at the major challenges the country is facing and then looked at solutions that have been presented that have truly transformative potential. The major challenges we’ve identified are the economy, health care, national security, civil rights, education, immigration, the deficit and entitlement reform.
What qualifies as a Republican idea?
This post presents five big ideas that aren’t necessarily part of the Republican platform, but have been proposed by some of the party’s visionaries and most articulate voices. Some of these ideas come from party mavericks. For instance, on immigration, Senator Lindsey Graham argues that America has an enormous need for immigrants, but he wants them to be in the country legally. His proposal is not in sync with the Republican platform. And yet, Mitt Romney, the standard-bearer of the Republican party as its presumptive nominee, is not bound by the party platform either.
In fact, on the immigration issue and many other issues such as education and entitlement reform, what will ultimately be required is bipartisan consensus. If an idea’s proponents are too intransigent, it will likely never become policy, and therefore does not qualify as a big idea. In other words, a big idea is one that has a high probability of becoming reality.
On the other hand, does everyone have to agree that a big idea is a good idea? Certainly not. The list below is not intended to be exhaustive, and we invite our readers to submit other ideas as the convention unfolds, and then revisit this exercise again when the Democrats convene in Charlotte in September.
1. Education
Expert: Chris Cerf, Commissioner of New Jersey Public Schools
Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey will be delivering the keynote address at the convention, in which we expect him to come out swinging at President Obama. We also expect Christie to address one of his signature issues, which is education reform. Christie has fought for voucher programs, the revamping of teacher tenure and evaluation systems and an increase in the number of charter schools. Charter schools are a Republican idea that has been embraced by Bill Gates and Nick Hanauer, among many others.
In the video below, Chris Cerf, Commissioner of New Jersey Public Schools, defends recent sweeping education reforms in New York City and New Jersey.
Watch the video here:
